A Prayer for the Crown-Shy: A Monk and Robot Book: 2 (Monk & Robot)

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This novella is gentle, hopeful, and fundamentally queer in how it conceives of care and family. Accessible and propulsive, it’s a sort of modern parable for anyone who feels somewhat adrift, even when they’re not sure they should. Mosscap walked up behind them, observing. “May I ask why you do this, given that Bosh will not notice?” it asked. At other times, it is distressing, such as when Mosscap begins to malfunction while on the road. The robot soberly accepts that its life is now over without fanfare, as its forebears had done when they too began to break down. Dex’s response, meanwhile, is all too human, and immediately sets about finding a way to repair their friend. They pursed their lips, realizing they’d forgotten to fetch their towel before getting in the shower. They threw an eye toward the hook on the side of the wagon where it should have been hanging. To their surprise, the towel was there, right where it should be. Mosscap must’ve brought it, they thought, when it went to search the pantry.

I listened to it and that is my only gripe really. While the narrator does a good job with subtly voicing the characters, she has a weird way of subtly emphasising the neutral pronouns used for Sibling Dex, which actually contributed to my occasional confusion about who was being referred to. The text did not flow when she said, "THEY did this and THEY did that" It sounded a bit like she was referring to someone else (who was maybe mentioned earlier?), even though it was kind of obvious that it was Dex. It was a shame, because it very often threw me out of the narrative.

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Monk & Robot retroactively renders that painful experience, familiar to many of us, less painful just by virtue of seeing its characters, truly seeing them, and placing itself in their corner. To its readers, these books speak with intention and kindness and unrelenting feeling. They say, “I see you too, and I get it.” And sometimes there is nothing more powerful, or more intoxicating, than that. I'm the world's biggest fan of odd couple buddy road trips in science fiction, and this odd couple buddy road trip is a delight: funny, thoughtful, touching, sweet, and one of the most humane books I've read in a long time. We could all use a read like this right now.” —Sarah Pinsker So much of the Monk and Robot duology is emblematic of the saying, “it’s not the destination but the journey.” As cliché as that sentiment has become, it's worth remembering that the journey here is meant to be life. Life, in all its brief encounters and lasting relationships, its small comforts and grand wonders. After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home.

I see,” Mosscap said, but its voice was distracted, and it wasn’t looking their way at all. “Not that I don’t care, Sibling Dex, but—” This maxim is a tough pill to swallow, as much for Dex as it is for anyone in our world. If you are good at something, is it wrong to not utilize those skills for others? If we are all responsible for the needs of the community, what do we do when our needs and the needs of others don’t align?JadePhoenix13 on Reading The Wheel of Time: Taim Tells Lies and Rand Shares His Plan in Winter’s Heart (Part 3) 3 hours ago No one has any incentive to hoard pebs or use them for ill thanks to this mindset, and because, of course, no one wants for food, shelter, or support in this world built around tenets of mutual aid and communal benefit. Similarly, a large deficit of pebs is not an indicator of greed or antagonism, but rather a cry for help from someone who is facing difficulties in their life, as Dex explains to a querying Mosscap: Very much so. I feel—I connect simply by watching things move through the Cycle. I don’t need an object to facilitate that feeling.” I've been hoping she will say it again so I can catch her exact words but even with asking her things more often than usual, she hasn't repeated it.